Scammers are using every trick in the book and some frightening new ones as an elderly Grand Junction woman was offered a taxi ride so she could purchase a money order to send to them.

The scam started when she received a postcard stating that she had won a prize and all that was required was $5.00 and her phone number to verify her identity. Once the scammers had her phone number, they began calling her and informed the woman, in her 90's, that she needed to send $8,000 to cover the taxes associated with the prize.

Since the woman no longer drives, the scammers called a taxi who came to the nursing home where she lives. The taxi driver was told by the scammer he was the woman's son and his mother needed a ride to Walmart.

When the taxi arrived to pick up the woman, the nursing home staff got suspicious and found out the woman was going to Walmart for an $8,000 money order which she was going to send to the scammers.

The taxi driver was told that no one they knew called for the ride and was sent off without a passenger. Here's where it gets really frightening. The scammer called the taxi again sometime later to go pick up the woman and the nursing home had to send the driver away a second time.

Scammers are getting more sophisticated and can clone phone numbers to make it seem like the call is coming from a local number to increase the chance you will answer and believe the person calling is from your town.

The other big scam which is common this time of year is the IRS tax scam. If you get a phone call or email from the IRS asking to verify information, collect taxes or other reasons, it's a scam. The IRS likes everything in writing on paper, so if they contact you, it will be by mail and nothing else.

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